Blind Spot
by ABirdWhoSquawks
Summary: Steven and Connie are convinced: Amethyst and Pearl have fallen hard for each other. The only problem: they don't know it yet. Still, the kids are determined to make this relationship a reality, no matter what it takes.
1. Body Language

The setting sun cast a warm glow over the house, its rays stretching through the window from the couch, occupied by a reclining Amethyst, up to Steven's loft, where the boy was chatting excitedly, phone in hand.

"Connie, Connie! I just finished the last episode!" he told his absent friend.

"Nice! I'm glad you're caught up, we have so much to talk about!" said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Yeah. I'm not sure I could've handled a thousand years without _Under the Knife._ " Out of the corner of his eye, Steven noticed the temple door opening to reveal Pearl, soaking wet and visibly furious. She called Amethyst's name in an accusing tone. Judging by Amethyst's boisterous laughter, Steven quickly made the connection. The voice of his friend quickly redirected his attention to the conversation.

"So... what did you think?" Connie asked expectantly.

"It was amazing!" came his enthusiastic reply. "It was so suspenseful! Like when they had to operate to get the gun out of the senator's lungs?" He stuck a finger in his ear to block out the sounds of Pearl and Amethyst's escalating argument. "And when Will and Penny got together? I had no idea that was coming!"

"Really?" Connie said. "I thought the way they foreshadowed it was kinda obvious."

"But they were always fighting and yelling at each other!" Steven looked down from his bed to the living room below. Amethyst was no longer laughing, and Pearl was quickly losing her composure.

Connie responded. "You could see it in the actors' body language! They may have bickered an awful lot, but they always showed telltale signs of attraction whenever they talked."

Watching the gems' argument, Steven hmmed, a curious thought brewing in his head. "What kind of signs?"

"Well, let's see... When two people are attracted to one another, their personal space distance usually decreases..." Steven noted how close the gems were, even as they shouted at one another. "...their periods of eye contact tend to increase and become extended..." They stared one another down, neither daring to break eye contact. "...and, most importantly, blood rushes to their face."

"Oh, you are just _impossible!"_ Pearl screamed, her face an intense cyan.

"Well maybe _you're_ not impossible _enough!_ " Her voice cracking, Amethyst's cheeks flushed a deep violet.

Steven gasped. "Connie, I think I just found something _big._ "

* * *

". . . Amethyst and Pearl? Are you serious?" Connie said to her friend. The two sat on the porch outside Steven's house, sharing a box of popsicles in the afternoon heat.

"Of course!" Steven replied. "They're just like Will and Penny from _Under the Knife_!" He paused briefly to lick his popsicle, then continued, "They showed all the signs. Blushing, staring, everything."

"Just like Will and Penny, huh?" She thought to herself for a moment. "Steven, if you're right, this could be the cutest couple of all time."

"I know, right?" He sighed. "It's just a shame they don't know it yet."

Connie pondered over an idea in her head. "Well, why don't we help them along?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, this is how I see it," she continued, "If there's already romantic tension between Amethyst and Pearl, all we need to do is give it a spark! Given the right romantic situation, they could finally realize their feelings for each other!"

"Like a date!" Steven's eyes lit up with excitement. "Connie, that's perfect!"

He got up at the sound of the front door opening. "Garnet, Garnet! Amethyst and Pearl are totally in love with each other, right?"

She shrugged. "I'unno."

Connie piped in. "But they would make such a great couple, right?"

Garnet hesitated, her face unreadable. "...Sure?"

"Yes!" The kids high-fived.

"So you'll help us?" Steven looked up at the gem expectantly.

The gem smiled. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

* * *

 **[A/N: Sorry for the short prologue, but the next chapter should be coming along soon!]**


	2. Blind Date

"Steven, Remind me why we're doing this, again?"

"Because, Pearl, it's unlimited appetizer night!" Steven replied as he, Pearl, and Amethyst approached the Crab Shack. "Even though Garnet's away on a 'solo mission', I thought we could have a night to ourselves! Just me, you, and Amethyst."

"And never-ending food!" Amethyst exclaimed, her mouth watering. Pearl gagged.

It wasn't long before the group was guided to their table, seated on the upper floor overlooking the beach. Mere seconds after they were seated, a playful melody sounded, prompting Steven to take out his ringing phone; the screen simply read "Incoming Call: Connie".

 _Right on time,_ he thought. "Excuse me guys, I gotta take this real quick." He stood and walked away, leaving the two gems by themselves. "I'll be right back!"

The next few moments passed in silence before Pearl let out a sigh. "Amethyst, there's something strange about all this..."

Amethyst crammed an entire breadstick into her mouth before responding. "I dunno what you're talking about, I'm having a great time!" She followed this with two more breadsticks.

Pearl growled in disapproval. "I'm serious, Amethyst! Something is up."

Before she could continue, however, a tall figure approached. "A-hem. Good evening, ladies!" The figure truly was a sight: nine feet tall, dressed in a long, white trench coat with a bow-tie haphazardly tied around the collar. Despite it's impressive stature (save some oddly-proportioned limbs), the curly-haired figure had a rather boyish visage, if one ignored the crooked, fake mustache.

"I'll be your server tonight," the mysterious person continued, "and what a lovely night it is to be out on a date like this! What can I get you two? Might I suggest the couple's special?"

Pearl looked up, unfazed. "Oh, hi, Steven. Who's that you're standing on?"

"What? Aww..." Steven awkwardly clambered off of Connie, who readily welcomed the fresh air as she came out from the oversized coat's sweltering interior.

"Hi, Connie." said Pearl.

Amethyst couldn't hold back her laughter. "Bahaha! Oh man, you two looked ridiculous! Stevonnie didn't work out so well this time, huh?"

Steven hit his forehead in frustration. "Stevonnie, of course!" He turned to his friend. "Why didn't we think of that?"

"We'll figure something else out," Connie reassured him as they left. "Let's move on to plan B..."

Before long, the two gems were approached by a genuine waiter.

"Good evening," he addressed them. "I'll be your server tonight. What could I get you?"

Amethyst slammed the menu on the table. "I want everything!"

Pearl sighed in exasperation.

* * *

 **[A/N: Bite-sized mini-chapters. Aw yes.]**


	3. Plan B

"I still can't believe that didn't work!" Steven said as he and Connie strolled along the boardwalk the day after the ill-fated date.

Connie shook her head. "Regardless, we have to try again." she said, her voice determined.

Steven nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but how? The dinner was perfect!"

"Hardly," Connie replied. "The disguise was a long shot at best, and Pearl was clearly out of her element." After a few seconds of thinking, she continued. "Steven, maybe we're over-thinking this. We need something simple, but romantic."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Hmm. . . I've got it!"

* * *

Pearl was having a rather pleasant evening. It seemed like she seldom had much time for herself these days, but this day had proven to be an exception. She had chosen to spend this time sitting on the sofa with an old book, bound in red leather, with gold letters on the cover taking the form of _Das Kapital_. It was a title that she had been meaning to pick up for quite some while, but had thus far neglected. "Interesting..." She muttered to herself as her eyes darted back and forth across the page.

 _Boom._ Her period of relaxation was shattered by the slamming of the front door.

"Pearl! Amethyst!" Steven shouted.

Pearl wasted no time in rushing over to the boy on high alert. "Steven? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" She began checking him for injuries.

"No, no, everything's fine!" Steven reassured her.

"Oh." Pearl started back towards the couch. "Then please try not to slam the door like that. It's bad for the hinges."

"No, wait! It's still really important!" He called for her attention as she picked up her book again. "Is Amethyst around? There's something you guys need to see."

Sighing, she laid the book down once more. "Well, if it's that important to you. . . I think Amethyst is somewhere in the temple; I'll go get her."

"Yes!"

* * *

A cool evening breeze from the ocean greeted the trio as Steven led the two gems along the beach.

Amethyst spoke up, "So what's this 'super cool thing' we're supposed to see?"

"Hold on, we're almost there." Steven replied. "Ok, sit right here." He pointed to a spot on the ground; the gems obliged.

"And. . ." He paused for dramatic effect. "It's this beautiful sunset!" He beckoned to the sun across the waves, descending the horizon, sending out a myriad of hues streaking out across the sky.

The gems blinked.

"Well, it is kinda pretty. . ." Amethyst said after a few moments.

"True," Pearl nodded in agreement, "but Steven, we've seen thousands of sunsets before."

"Well, yeah, but this one is really nice!" he maintained. "Wait, hold on a second!" he ran off, leaving the two alone.

Pearl watched Steven leave and then fixed her gaze on the sunset. Amethyst watched the sunset for a few moments and then turned to face Pearl. Neither said anything.

This silence, however, did not last long. Following a few soft footsteps in the sand came the warm, soft tones of an instrumental duet: the gentle harmony of a ukulele and the soothing melody of a viola, from the hands of Steven and Connie, respectively. The tune wasn't extravagant by any means, but rather pleasant in its simplicity as the pair played on for a couple dozen or so bars.

Pearl, after waiting patiently for a cadence, clapped politely. "Thank you," she said as she stood, "that was very nice." She smiled, but then began walking back to the house.

"Wait!" Steven said, ceasing his playing, "Come back, we weren't done!"

Connie brought her instrument down as she watched the gem return inside. "Aw. . ."

Before the two could say any more, a thunderous snore interrupted them. The pair turned around to find Amethyst, fast asleep on the sand.

"Oh, come on!" Steven exclaimed, frustrated. "We were so close!"

A hand landed on his shoulder. "We can still do this," Connie reassured him. "We can't stop now! Times like this call for drastic measures."

Steven nodded.

Amethyst slumbered peacefully.

* * *

 **[A/N: Until proven otherwise, in my head, Connie plays the viola, not the violin. Violas are nice and need more representation!**

 **Next chapter may or may not be out before the second Steven Bomb.]**


	4. Drastic Measures

"Okay, we have one last shot at this." Connie spoke with determination in her voice and fire in her eyes. "Tonight, Pearl and Amethyst's passions are going to be realized!"

"Yeah!" Steven said, his enthusiasm nearly matching that of his friend. "But we need something good, some sort of strategy. . ."

Connie nodded. "Think, Steven. When have those two been the closest?"

He thought for a moment. "Well, there was this one time I got eaten by a giant bird. . ."

Connie gasped. "Steven, that's it! All we need to do is put you in mortal danger!"

"Yeah!" Steven said. "Wait, what?"

* * *

Pearl hummed to herself lightly as she washed the dishes from Steven's dinner. For whatever reason, she always felt the most at ease when working on something with her hands. It relaxed her.

The sound of the refrigerator door to her right brought a thought to her head. "So, Amethyst. . ." She began without even glancing up. Her tone was even, but curious. "What do you think is going on?"

"Uh, you're gonna have to be more specific than that, P." came the response. Amethyst, sandwich in hand, slammed the fridge door shut with more force than was necessary; she had a Pearl to irritate, after all.

If it bothered her, Pearl didn't show it. "With Connie and Steven." She gently laid down the plate and turned to face the other gem. "One odd dinner is one thing, but last night makes it something else."

Amethyst shrugged. "I dunno, I don't really think about things like this too hard. So what if they're being a little weird? I'm having fun!"

 _Boom._ The slam of the front door made Pearl cringe. When she turned to face it, however, she did not find Steven, as she expected, but Connie, breathing heavily.

"Connie?" Pearl asked. "What's going on?"

"It's Steven!" the girl replied between breaths. "He's under attack by some sort of giant sea monster, he needs your help!"

* * *

Connie and two gems wasted no time in racing to find Steven. A grossly enlarged black arm, partially submerged in the ocean water, held the screaming boy high in the sky; another arm flailed wildly about, sending seawater in all directions.

Amethyst yanked her whip out of her gem. "Oh no you don't!" She shouted at the creature before charging towards it. "Come on, Pearl! Let's get this thing!"

Pearl drew her spear, ready to oblige, but something stopped her. Something about the creature felt _off._ The colossal fists invoked a certain memory in her.

 _Wait._

"Wait, stop." Pearl said, putting her palm to her forehead. "Stop!" She repeated, louder this time.

At the sound of her shout, everything stopped moving; the arms, Steven, and Amethyst all froze in their tracks, with the latter two looking back to her.

"Amethyst, this exact same thing happened before!" She shook her head in frustration. "After the gem shards, remember?"

The scene remained in silence for a moment before the monstrous arms receded, revealing a certain gem surfacing from the water.

" _Garnet!?_ " Amethyst exclaimed.

" _You're_ a part of this?" Pearl asked her, more confused than anything else.

The gem shrugged in response. "I _really_ had nothing better to do." With that, she set Steven back down on the sand and retreated to the house.

Pearl took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. Steven, Connie, what on earth is going on?"

The two looked at each other.

Steven sighed. "Well, I saw the other day how you two were arguing with one another, and it reminded Connie and me of a TV show we like, and. . ."

"-and we sort of became convinced that you had a crush on each other," Connie continued, "and we just wanted to help you along."

Pearl stared at the kids for a second or two before she burst out in laughter. Amethyst joined in with a chuckle.

"Ahaha, oh my goodness! _Us? Together?_ " Pearl said as she tried to regain some sense of composure. Noting the kids' downcast faces, she went on, "Look, I'm glad you two wanted to help us, but Amethyst and I would make a horrible couple! Right, Amethyst?"

"Oh!" She responded. "Uh, yeah. It would, like, never work out."

Still attempting to stifle her giggles, Pearl continued, "I mean, Amethyst and I are entirely incompatible! Could you imagine the kind of conflict that would arise from our personalities? She's just too brash, crude, and disorganized. It would never work, not in a million years!"

Steven sighed. "I guess we were wrong, Connie."

"Yeah," she replied, "but at least we gave it a shot."

Pearl giggled one final time at the absurdity of the situation and watched the two walk off back to the house.

". . .So you really mean all that?"

The voice surprised Pearl. She looked down to Amethyst at her side; the gem was not making eye contact, but rather gazing at the sun descending under the horizon, much like the previous night, her resigned voice and defeated slouch a sharp contrast to her usual demeanor.

"What do you mean?" Pearl ventured.

"About me. About us."

Pearl found herself at a loss for words. "Well, I, uh-"

"Like how you couldn't even _think_ of dating me without laughing, like it's some sort of joke." She turned away and sniffed. "Nevermind, forget it."

Pearl felt her heart sink at the sight. "Amethyst," she knelt down, "I had no idea, I. . . I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"No, I get it." Amethyst said, her voice choked. "You're too good for me."

"No, no," she looked Amethyst in the face, cringing at the sadness in her friend's eyes. "It's just not something I've ever thought about before, it seemed just so unusual to me, I-" She paused. "I think you're wonderful, actually."

Amethyst didn't reply. Though there were tears in her eyes, she managed a soft smile.

"Look," Pearl wiped a tear away from Amethyst's eye with a finger. "How about we start over? Go back to that restaurant with all the bread sticks? Or. . ." She stopped and looked out at the crimson hues stretching over the ocean, leaving spots of light dancing on the waves. "Or we could stay here and watch the sunset. Together." She took hold of Amethyst's hand.

". . . Yeah. I think I'd like that."


End file.
